Cedar ELB?

[Mafort]

A friend of mine was cleaning out his garage and found some cedar boards that he never used. They have very tight growth rings going in almost perfect parallel lines upand down the board. Was wondering what I could do to turn this into a bow? Was thinking a tri-lam for a light weight bow to regain some practice with but I am uncertain if I should do like a thin slate of hickory for a backing, or maybe just back it with some heavy linen I have.  Any ideas on what I should do. This is some pretty clean stuff. No knots near what would be the back of the bow.

[Pat B]

What kind of cedar is it, western red or eastern red? ERC will make a bow. I'm not sure about WRC.

[Mafort]

I know that wrc will make a bow. The western Indians used it for there short reflexes bows. I’m asked if he knew for sure it was cedar and he said that’s what the sign said. Could be from a large tree but I’m not seeing the red heart wood

[DC]

Western Red Cedar makes good arrows. Mainly because it splits so straight. It's a brittle wood, snaps like a match stick. I really don't think it would make a bow, especially a short one. Maybe if it was backed with hickory or maple or some such. I'm more than willing to be proved wrong as there is lot of it around here. Maybe the natives used branches, they may be bendier. Come to think of it WRC does have white sapwood but it's usually a couple of inches thick on the trunk.

[PatM]

I know that wrc will make a bow. The western Indians used it for there short reflexes bows. I’m asked if he knew for sure it was cedar and he said that’s what the sign said. Could be from a large tree but I’m not seeing the red heart wood

They still used the Western "Juniper"  or even Incense Cedar varieties.   The common names are mixing you up.

 The stuff you're looking at is without a doubt the type used for decks and saunass etc.

[DC]

When I made my first yew bow I was surprised at how much Yew and WRC looked alike. It wouldn't be a stretch for an archaeologist to confuse the two. Bows that have been identified as WRC could quite easily be Yew. Hint, the Yew is on the left.

[PatM]

Yep.  Similar conifer grain pattern.  People identifying actual wood used were rarely botanists or the like.    If you pointed to a Yew tree in a yard chances are people will call it a cedar tree.

 There was an extraordinarily straight grained Homer Prouty flight bow for sale on ebay years ago and it was labelled as "'Cedar" .   People in the know could tell it was actually Yew heartwood  though.

[Pat B]

If it smells like a cedar clothes closet it ERC.  ERC also has purplish heartwood when freshly cut. It then turns brownish with oxidation.
Western red cedar stays about the same color.
 Pictures would help.

[PatM]

The chances of someone finding clear ERC in board form would be like finding a Unicorn.

[DC]

WRC also has a distinctive odour but you'd have a hard time finding an archaeologist that would scrape a 300 year old bow to see how it smells.

[PatM]

Many of those quotes on bow woods used came from guys like Lewis and Clark or Ethnographers.